The Single Leg Finish is a fundamental takedown completion technique that transforms single leg control into a dominant position on the ground. After successfully capturing your opponent’s leg, the finish requires precise elevation, off-balancing, and control to safely bring your opponent to the mat while maintaining positional dominance. This technique represents the critical transition point between standing grappling and ground control, making it essential for both gi and no-gi practitioners.
The single leg finish encompasses multiple finishing variations depending on your opponent’s defensive reactions and their base. Whether driving through to side control, running the pipe to the back, or using a dump finish, each variation shares common principles of elevation, angle creation, and controlled completion. Understanding these fundamental mechanics allows practitioners to chain together finishes based on opponent reactions, creating a systematic approach to takedown completion.
Mastery of single leg finishes dramatically improves takedown success rates and provides seamless transitions from standing to dominant ground positions. The technique builds upon wrestling fundamentals while incorporating BJJ-specific considerations for position, control, and submission threats. When executed properly, the single leg finish not only scores takedown points but establishes immediate offensive opportunities on the ground.
Starting Position: Standing Position Ending Position: Side Control Success Rates: Beginner 50%, Intermediate 70%, Advanced 85%
Key Principles
- Elevate the captured leg above opponent’s hip level to disrupt balance
- Create angle by stepping to the outside of the captured leg
- Maintain tight connection between your shoulder and opponent’s thigh
- Drive forward and downward in one continuous motion
- Control opponent’s landing to establish immediate top position
- Keep your head positioned to prevent guillotine defense
- Use your opponent’s reactions to determine optimal finish variation
Prerequisites
- Secure control of opponent’s leg with both arms wrapped around thigh
- Head positioned on outside of opponent’s hip (safe from guillotine)
- Good posture with back straight and hips underneath body
- Opponent’s captured leg elevated off the mat
- Strong grip connection with hands clasped behind opponent’s knee
- Balanced stance on your base leg with proper weight distribution
Execution Steps
- Secure leg control: Establish deep control around opponent’s thigh with both arms, clasping hands behind their knee. Your shoulder should be tight against their hip with head positioned on the outside to avoid guillotine counters. Maintain strong posture with your back straight and hips underneath your center of gravity. (Timing: Initial capture phase - 1-2 seconds)
- Elevate captured leg: Drive upward with your legs while pulling the captured leg tight to your chest, lifting it above opponent’s hip level. This elevation disrupts their base and prevents them from hopping to maintain balance. Keep constant upward pressure throughout the finish. (Timing: Continuous elevation - maintain throughout)
- Create finishing angle: Step your outside foot (the one closest to opponent’s free leg) to a 45-degree angle away from their centerline. This lateral movement combined with elevation breaks their remaining base and prevents them from squaring up to defend. Your head should move around their hip as you angle off. (Timing: Simultaneous with elevation)
- Drive through opponent: Using your legs, drive forward and slightly downward through your opponent’s center of mass. The drive should be powerful but controlled, directing them backward and down toward the mat. Maintain the elevation of their leg while driving to prevent them from posting with their free leg. (Timing: Explosive drive - 0.5-1 second)
- Control the landing: As opponent falls, guide their landing by controlling the captured leg and using your shoulder position. Step through with your far leg to establish side control position as they hit the mat. Your weight should transition smoothly from standing to a dominant top position without releasing leg control. (Timing: Transition phase - 1-2 seconds)
- Secure top position: Land in side control with your chest across opponent’s torso, maintaining control of their near leg. Establish crossface with your near arm while your far arm controls their hip or far arm. Release the leg only after securing solid positional control to prevent immediate escape attempts. (Timing: Final consolidation - 2-3 seconds)
Opponent Counters
- Whizzer overhook and limp leg defense (Effectiveness: High) - Your Response: Switch to outside trip or dump finish by attacking the standing leg while maintaining elevation of captured leg. Use their whizzer as leverage to rotate them.
- Guillotine counter attack (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Keep head position tight to outside of hip and maintain good posture. If they secure guillotine grip, complete finish quickly or transition to double leg by switching levels and driving forward.
- Hopping to maintain base (Effectiveness: Medium) - Your Response: Increase elevation height and drive forward with each hop. Use their momentum against them by timing your angle change when they land on their hopping leg. Run the pipe to back control if they continue hopping.
- Sprawl and crossface pressure (Effectiveness: Low) - Your Response: Too late if you’ve already elevated the leg. Maintain elevation and circle away from their crossface while continuing the finish sequence. Their sprawl becomes ineffective once leg is elevated above hip level.
Test Your Knowledge
Q1: Why is head position on the outside of the opponent’s hip critical for single leg finish safety? A: Head position on the outside protects your neck from guillotine counters and prevents the opponent from using crossface pressure to sprawl effectively. This position also provides better leverage for elevation and allows you to create the necessary angle for finish. Inside head position exposes you to guillotine and makes your finish attempts weaker and more dangerous.
Q2: What is the primary purpose of elevating the captured leg above hip level? A: Elevating the leg above hip level disrupts the opponent’s balance and base by preventing them from posting with their free leg or hopping to maintain balance. Once the leg is elevated high enough, their remaining base becomes unstable and they cannot effectively defend the takedown. This elevation is the key mechanical principle that makes the finish successful regardless of which variation you use.
Q3: How should you respond if your opponent successfully establishes a whizzer overhook during your single leg finish? A: When opponent gets a whizzer, you have several options: switch to a dump finish by using their overhook as leverage to rotate them over your outside leg; transition to an outside trip by attacking their standing leg; or run the pipe to their back if they begin hopping. The key is to maintain elevation of the captured leg while adapting your finish based on their whizzer pressure. Do not fight directly against the whizzer’s strength.
Q4: What angle should you create with your footwork before driving through on the single leg finish, and why? A: You should step to approximately a 45-degree angle to the outside of the captured leg before driving forward. This lateral angle accomplishes several things: it breaks the opponent’s remaining base by attacking from the side rather than straight on; it prevents them from squaring up to defend; it creates better leverage for your drive; and it positions you to land directly in side control. Driving straight forward allows them to maintain balance and defend more effectively.
Q5: At what point during the single leg finish should you release control of the captured leg? A: You should maintain control of the captured leg throughout the entire finish and only release after you have established solid side control position with crossface and hip control in place. Releasing too early allows the opponent to pull guard, escape to their knees, or create scrambles. The leg control ensures they land in an inferior position and cannot immediately begin escape sequences. Some coaches advocate maintaining some leg control even into the stabilization phase of side control.
Q6: How does the single leg finish strategy differ between gi and no-gi contexts? A: In gi, you can maintain stronger grips on the leg and control the landing more precisely, often finishing to traditional side control. The gi also allows for different grip configurations that help control the opponent’s movement. In no-gi, finishes often emphasize speed and the run-the-pipe variation becomes more valuable since back control is highly scored. No-gi requires tighter body connection since you cannot rely on fabric grips, and you may prioritize back takes over traditional side control finishes. Guillotine defense is also more critical in no-gi where chokes finish more easily without friction from the gi.
Safety Considerations
When practicing single leg finishes, controlled application is essential to prevent injury to both practitioners. The person executing the technique must guide their partner’s landing smoothly to avoid hard impact with the mat, particularly protecting their head and shoulders from uncontrolled falls. Never spike or drive your partner straight down onto their head or neck. Maintain awareness of mat boundaries and ensure adequate space for the takedown execution. Partners should communicate throughout drilling, with the person being taken down tapping if they feel unsafe or out of control. Build speed and power progressively over training sessions rather than starting with explosive finishes. In live sparring, both practitioners should maintain awareness of their surroundings and other training pairs to avoid collisions.
Position Integration
The single leg finish represents a critical junction point in the BJJ positional hierarchy, bridging the gap between standing grappling and dominant ground positions. After successfully establishing single leg control from standing or clinch positions, the finish determines whether you achieve takedown points and establish immediate offensive opportunities or allow your opponent to recover guard. The technique connects directly to wrestling fundamentals while incorporating BJJ-specific considerations for position quality and submission threats. From a successful single leg finish to side control, practitioners can immediately begin attacking with submissions like kimura, americana, or transition to mount and back control. Understanding single leg finishes also improves your takedown defense, as recognizing the mechanics allows you to better defend and counter. In competition contexts, clean single leg finishes score takedown points while establishing dominant position, often setting the tone for the entire match. The technique is equally valuable in gi and no-gi, self-defense scenarios, and MMA applications, making it a truly fundamental skill that every BJJ practitioner should master.
Expert Insights
- Danaher System: The single leg finish is fundamentally about mechanical advantage through elevation and angle creation. When you elevate the captured leg above the opponent’s hip level, you create a situation where their remaining base becomes geometrically unstable - they simply cannot maintain balance on one leg when the other is lifted high enough. The critical error most practitioners make is driving forward without first establishing this elevation and the proper lateral angle. Think of it as a lever system where your shoulder is the fulcrum, their leg is the lever arm, and your legs provide the force. The angle you create by stepping to the outside determines the direction of force application - straight forward allows them to resist with their remaining base, but a 45-degree angle attacks the weakness in their structure. Your head position on the outside is not merely about guillotine defense; it positions your shoulder as the optimal fulcrum point and allows your spine alignment to transfer maximum force from your legs through their center of mass. Master these mechanical principles and the finish becomes nearly inevitable once you establish proper leg control.
- Gordon Ryan: In competition, the single leg finish is my bread and butter takedown because it offers multiple high-percentage finishing options based on opponent reactions. The key is being able to chain finishes smoothly - if they defend the basic drive-through finish with a whizzer, I immediately switch to the dump or outside trip. If they start hopping, I run the pipe to the back where I want to be anyway. This is where competition experience pays off - you learn to read their weight distribution and defensive tendencies instantly. Against high-level guys, I almost never get the basic finish on the first attempt, but that doesn’t matter because I’ve drilled the chains so much that their defense to finish one just sets up finish two. Also, in no-gi especially, I’m always thinking about the transition to back control during the finish. Even as I’m driving through to side control, if I feel them turning into me, I’m ready to capitalize and take the back instead. The other critical factor is timing - I hit single legs when they’re moving or off-balance, never when they’re perfectly set in their stance. Entries matter just as much as finishes.
- Eddie Bravo: What I love about the single leg finish is how it flows into leg attack positions if you stay creative with it. Traditional guys finish to side control, which is cool, but I’m always thinking about how that captured leg can become an entry to outside ashi or even transitioning to leg entanglements during the scramble. If they’re defending hard and we both go to the ground during the finish, that’s actually an opportunity to establish leg control rather than just trying to force the traditional top position. Also, the dump finish is super underrated - it’s such a satisfying way to finish when they give you that whizzer, using their own grip against them. In 10th Planet style, we also emphasize the run-the-pipe variation heavily because back control is our money position. If someone’s hopping to defend, don’t fight it - use that momentum to circle to their back. And here’s a detail most people miss: as you’re finishing, if you can trap their far arm with your free hand during the drive, you can land directly in a gift wrap position or crucifix setup from side control. Every finish should be thinking about the next position, not just completing the takedown. That’s how you dominate matches from start to finish.